Additively Manufactured Booster Splitter With Integral Heating Passageways

ABSTRACT

A booster splitter for a gas turbine engine and a method of additively manufacturing the booster splitter are provided. The booster splitter includes an annular outer wall defining an internal fluid passageway in fluid communication with a fluid supply and terminating in discharge ports that eject a flow of fluid into the compressor section of the gas turbine engine. The internal fluid passageway may also be in fluid communication with heating plenums of a first plurality of airfoils for heating those airfoils.

FIELD

The present subject matter relates generally to booster splitters forgas turbine engines, and more particularly, to additively manufacturedbooster splitters including anti-icing features.

BACKGROUND

A core of a gas turbine engine generally includes, in serial flow order,a compressor section, a combustion section, a turbine section, and anexhaust section. In operation, air is provided to an inlet of thecompressor section where one or more axial compressors progressivelycompress the air until it reaches the combustion section. Fuel is mixedwith the compressed air and burned within the combustion section toprovide combustion gases. The combustion gases are routed from thecombustion section to the turbine section. The flow of combustion gasesthrough the turbine section drives the turbine section and is thenrouted through the exhaust section, e.g., to atmosphere.

During operation of the gas turbine engine, various components mayexperience extreme temperature gradients which may result in operationalissues if not controlled. For example, the core engine may include aleading nose that splits the flow of inlet air between a flow thatpasses through the core engine and a flow that passes through a bypasspassageway. This leading nose, frequently referred to as a “boostersplitter,” may be exposed to very cold air during high altitude or coldenvironment operation, resulting in ice build-up. Various conventionalsystems and methods are used for controlling the temperatures of thebooster splitter, such as routing heated air to a plenum defined betweenthe inner and outer walls of the booster splitter or using resistanceheaters positioned within the booster splitter. However, such methods ofcontrolling the temperature of such components often require complicatedplumbing and multi-part assemblies that are both inefficient andincrease the likelihood of leaks or other component failures.

Accordingly, a booster splitter including improved anti-icing featureswould be useful. More specifically, an additively manufactured boostersplitter of a gas turbine engine including efficient heating featureswithout costly or complicated fluid supply or heating systems would beparticularly beneficial.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

Aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in thefollowing description, or may be obvious from the description, or may belearned through practice of the invention.

In one exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a gas turbineengine defining an axial direction and a radial direction is provided.The gas turbine engine includes an annular inner wall defining aradially outer boundary of a compressor flow path defined through acompressor section of the gas turbine engine and an annular outer wallspaced apart from the inner wall along the radial direction, the outerwall being curved to meet with the inner wall at a forward end, theforward end defining an inlet to the compressor flow path. A fluidpassageway is defined within the outer wall and a fluid supply is influid communication with the fluid passageway for providing a flow offluid through the fluid passageway.

In another exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, a gas turbineengine is provided including a core engine including a compressorsection, a combustion section, and a turbine section in serial floworder. An annular nacelle is positioned around the core engine, a bypassairflow passageway being defined between the core engine and thenacelle, the annular nacelle defining an engine inlet for receiving aprimary flow of air. A splitter is positioned at a forward end of thecore engine and defining a core inlet, the splitter configured forsplitting the primary flow of air between the core inlet and the bypassairflow passageway. The splitter includes an annular outer wall definingan internal fluid passageway and a fluid supply in fluid communicationwith the internal fluid passageway for providing a flow of fluid to theinternal fluid passageway. A plurality of discharge ports are defined onthe outer wall and being in fluid communication with the internal fluidpassageway for discharging the flow of fluid into the core engine.

According to still another embodiment, a method of manufacturing asplitter is provided. The method includes depositing a layer of additivematerial on a bed of an additive manufacturing machine and selectivelydirecting energy from an energy source onto the layer of additivematerial to fuse a portion of the additive material and form thesplitter. The splitter includes an annular inner wall defining aradially outer boundary of a compressor flow path defined through acompressor section of the gas turbine engine and an annular outer wallspaced apart from the inner wall along the radial direction, the outerwall being curved to meet with the inner wall at a forward end, theforward end defining an inlet to the compressor flow path and aninternal fluid passageway.

These and other features, aspects and advantages of the presentinvention will become better understood with reference to the followingdescription and appended claims. The accompanying drawings, which areincorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrateembodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serveto explain the principles of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A full and enabling disclosure of the present invention, including thebest mode thereof, directed to one of ordinary skill in the art, is setforth in the specification, which makes reference to the appendedfigures.

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an exemplary gas turbineengine according to various embodiments of the present subject matter.

FIG. 2 provides a cross-sectional view of an additively manufacturedbooster splitter positioned on a forward end of a core engine of theexemplary gas turbine engine of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 provides a schematic perspective view of the exemplary boostersplitter of FIG. 2 according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentsubject matter.

FIG. 4 provides a cross sectional view of an internal fluid passagewaydefined within an outer wall of the exemplary booster splitter of FIG. 2according to an exemplary embodiment of the present subject matter.

FIG. 5 provides a schematic perspective view of the exemplary boostersplitter of FIG. 2 according to another exemplary embodiment of thepresent subject matter.

FIG. 6 is a method of manufacturing a booster splitter according to anexemplary embodiment of the present subject matter.

Repeat use of reference characters in the present specification anddrawings is intended to represent the same or analogous features orelements of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to present embodiments of theinvention, one or more examples of which are illustrated in theaccompanying drawings. The detailed description uses numerical andletter designations to refer to features in the drawings. Like orsimilar designations in the drawings and description have been used torefer to like or similar parts of the invention. As used herein, theterms “first”, “second”, and “third” may be used interchangeably todistinguish one component from another and are not intended to signifylocation or importance of the individual components. The terms “forward”and “aft” refer to relative positions within a thermal managementsystem, with forward referring to a position closer to component inletand aft referring to a position closer to a component exhaust. The terms“upstream” and “downstream” refer to the relative direction with respectto fluid flow in a fluid pathway. For example, “upstream” refers to thedirection from which the fluid flows, and “downstream” refers to thedirection to which the fluid flows. Furthermore, as used herein, termsof approximation, such as “approximately,” “substantially,” or “about,”refer to being within a ten percent margin of error.

The present disclosure is generally directed to a booster splitter for agas turbine engine and a method of additively manufacturing the boostersplitter. The booster splitter includes an annular outer wall definingan internal fluid passageway in fluid communication with a fluid supplyand terminating in discharge ports that eject a flow of fluid into thecompressor section of the gas turbine engine. The internal fluidpassageway may also be in fluid communication with heating plenums of afirst plurality of airfoils for heating those airfoils.

Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectionalview of a gas turbine engine in accordance with an exemplary embodimentof the present disclosure. More particularly, for the embodiment of FIG.1, the gas turbine engine is a high-bypass turbofan jet engine 10,referred to herein as “turbofan engine 10.” As shown in FIG. 1, theturbofan engine 10 defines an axial direction A (extending parallel to alongitudinal centerline or central axis 12 provided for reference) and aradial direction R. In general, the turbofan 10 includes a fan section14 and a core turbine engine 16 disposed downstream from the fan section14.

The exemplary core turbine engine 16 depicted generally includes asubstantially tubular outer casing 18 that defines an annular inlet 20.The outer casing 18 encases, in serial flow relationship, a compressorsection including a booster or low pressure (LP) compressor 22 and ahigh pressure (HP) compressor 24; a combustor or combustion section 26;a turbine section including a high pressure (HP) turbine 28 and a lowpressure (LP) turbine 30; and a jet exhaust nozzle section 32. A highpressure (HP) shaft or spool 34 drivingly connects the HP turbine 28 tothe HP compressor 24. A low pressure (LP) shaft or spool 36 drivinglyconnects the LP turbine 30 to the LP compressor 22.

For the embodiment depicted, the fan section 14 includes a variablepitch fan 38 having a plurality of fan blades 40 coupled to a disk 42 ina spaced apart manner. As depicted, the fan blades 40 extend outwardlyfrom disk 42 generally along the radial direction R. Each fan blade 40is rotatable relative to the disk 42 about a pitch axis P by virtue ofthe fan blades 40 being operatively coupled to a suitable actuationmember 44 configured to collectively vary the pitch of the fan blades 40in unison. The fan blades 40, disk 42, and actuation member 44 aretogether rotatable about the longitudinal axis 12 by LP shaft 36 acrossa power gear box 46. The power gear box 46 includes a plurality of gearsfor stepping down the rotational speed of the LP shaft 36 to a moreefficient rotational fan speed and is attached to one or both of a coreframe or a fan frame through one or more coupling systems.

Referring still to the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1, the disk 42 iscovered by rotatable front hub 48 aerodynamically contoured to promotean airflow through the plurality of fan blades 40. Additionally, theexemplary fan section 14 includes an annular fan casing or outer nacelle50 that circumferentially surrounds the fan 38 and/or at least a portionof the core turbine engine 16. It should be appreciated that the nacelle50 may be configured to be supported relative to the core turbine engine16 by a plurality of circumferentially-spaced outlet guide vanes 52.Moreover, a downstream section 54 of the nacelle 50 may extend over anouter portion of the core turbine engine 16 so as to define a bypassairflow passage 56 therebetween.

During operation of the turbofan engine 10, a volume of air 58 entersthe turbofan 10 through an associated inlet 60 of the nacelle 50 and/orfan section 14. As the volume of air 58 passes across the fan blades 40,a first portion of the air 58 as indicated by arrows 62 is directed orrouted into the bypass airflow passage 56 and a second portion of theair 58 as indicated by arrow 64 is directed or routed into the LPcompressor 22. The ratio between the first portion of air 62 and thesecond portion of air 64 is commonly known as a bypass ratio. Thepressure of the second portion of air 64 is then increased as it isrouted through the high pressure (HP) compressor 24 and into thecombustion section 26, where it is mixed with fuel and burned to providecombustion gases 66.

The combustion gases 66 are routed through the HP turbine 28 where aportion of thermal and/or kinetic energy from the combustion gases 66 isextracted via sequential stages of HP turbine stator vanes 68 that arecoupled to the outer casing 18 and HP turbine rotor blades 70 that arecoupled to the HP shaft or spool 34, thus causing the HP shaft or spool34 to rotate, thereby supporting operation of the HP compressor 24. Thecombustion gases 66 are then routed through the LP turbine 30 where asecond portion of thermal and kinetic energy is extracted from thecombustion gases 66 via sequential stages of LP turbine stator vanes 72that are coupled to the outer casing 18 and LP turbine rotor blades 74that are coupled to the LP shaft or spool 36, thus causing the LP shaftor spool 36 to rotate, thereby supporting operation of the LP compressor22 and/or rotation of the fan 38.

The combustion gases 66 are subsequently routed through the jet exhaustnozzle section 32 of the core turbine engine 16 to provide propulsivethrust. Simultaneously, the pressure of the first portion of air 62 issubstantially increased as the first portion of air 62 is routed throughthe bypass airflow passage 56 before it is exhausted from a fan nozzleexhaust section 76 of the turbofan 10, also providing propulsive thrust.The HP turbine 28, the LP turbine 30, and the jet exhaust nozzle section32 at least partially define a hot gas path 78 for routing thecombustion gases 66 through the core turbine engine 16.

It should be appreciated that the exemplary turbofan 10 depicted in FIG.1 is by way of example only and that in other exemplary embodiments,turbofan 10 may have any other suitable configuration. For example, itshould be appreciated that in other exemplary embodiments, turbofan 10may instead be configured as any other suitable turbine engine, such asa turboprop engine, turbojet engine, internal combustion engine, etc.

Referring still to FIG. 1, turbofan 10 may include a booster splitter orsplitter 100 positioned at a forward end or leading edge of core turbineengine 16. Splitter 100 may generally be configured for dividing aprimary flow of air (as indicated by inlet air 58 in FIG. 1) that entersengine inlet 60 into a flow of bypass air (as indicated by first portionof air 64 in FIG. 1) and a flow of combustion air (as indicated bysecond portion of air 62 in FIG. 1). As will be explained in detailbelow, splitter 100 may include one or more walls that define internalfluid passageways for circulating fluid throughout splitter to preventice build-up. Although the description below refers to the constructionof splitter 100 for use in turbofan 10, it should be appreciated thatsplitter 100 is used only for the purpose of explaining aspects of thepresent subject matter. Indeed, aspects of the present subject mattermay be applied to form splitters in alternative configurations and forother gas turbine engines.

In general, the exemplary embodiments of splitter 100 described hereinmay be manufactured or formed using any suitable process. However, inaccordance with several aspects of the present subject matter, splitter100 may be formed using an additive-manufacturing process, such as a 3-Dprinting process. The use of such a process may allow splitter 100 to beformed integrally, as a single monolithic component, or as any suitablenumber of sub-components. In particular, the manufacturing process mayallow splitter 100 to be integrally formed and include a variety offeatures not possible when using prior manufacturing methods. Forexample, the additive manufacturing methods described herein enable themanufacture of splitters including walls having internal fluidpassageways and various features defined within these fluid passagewayswhich were not possible using prior manufacturing methods. Some of thesenovel features are described herein.

As used herein, the terms “additively manufactured” or “additivemanufacturing techniques or processes” refer generally to manufacturingprocesses wherein successive layers of material(s) are provided on eachother to “build-up,” layer-by-layer, a three-dimensional component. Thesuccessive layers generally fuse together to form a monolithic componentwhich may have a variety of integral sub-components. Although additivemanufacturing technology is described herein as enabling fabrication ofcomplex objects by building objects point-by-point, layer-by-layer,typically in a vertical direction, other methods of fabrication arepossible and within the scope of the present subject matter. Forexample, although the discussion herein refers to the addition ofmaterial to form successive layers, one skilled in the art willappreciate that the methods and structures disclosed herein may bepracticed with any additive manufacturing technique or manufacturingtechnology. For example, embodiments of the present invention may uselayer-additive processes, layer-subtractive processes, or hybridprocesses.

Suitable additive manufacturing techniques in accordance with thepresent disclosure include, for example, Fused Deposition Modeling(FDM), Selective Laser Sintering (SLS), 3D printing such as by inkjetsand laserjets, Sterolithography (SLA), Direct Selective Laser Sintering(DSLS), Electron Beam Sintering (EBS), Electron Beam Melting (EBM),Laser Engineered Net Shaping (LENS), Laser Net Shape Manufacturing(LNSM), Direct Metal Deposition (DMD), Digital Light Processing (DLP),Direct Selective Laser Melting (DSLM), Selective Laser Melting (SLM),Direct Metal Laser Melting (DMLM), and other known processes.

In addition to using a direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) or directmetal laser melting (DMLM) process where an energy source is used toselectively sinter or melt portions of a layer of powder, it should beappreciated that according to alternative embodiments, the additivemanufacturing process may be a “binder jetting” process. In this regard,binder jetting involves successively depositing layers of additivepowder in a similar manner as described above. However, instead of usingan energy source to generate an energy beam to selectively melt or fusethe additive powders, binder jetting involves selectively depositing aliquid binding agent onto each layer of powder. The liquid binding agentmay be, for example, a photo-curable polymer or another liquid bondingagent. Other suitable additive manufacturing methods and variants areintended to be within the scope of the present subject matter.

The additive manufacturing processes described herein may be used forforming components using any suitable material. For example, thematerial may be plastic, metal, concrete, ceramic, polymer, epoxy,photopolymer resin, or any other suitable material that may be in solid,liquid, powder, sheet material, wire, or any other suitable form. Morespecifically, according to exemplary embodiments of the present subjectmatter, the additively manufactured components described herein may beformed in part, in whole, or in some combination of materials includingbut not limited to pure metals, nickel alloys, chrome alloys, titanium,titanium alloys, magnesium, magnesium alloys, aluminum, aluminum alloys,and nickel or cobalt based superalloys (e.g., those available under thename Inconel® available from Special Metals Corporation). Thesematerials are examples of materials suitable for use in the additivemanufacturing processes described herein, and may be generally referredto as “additive materials.”

In addition, one skilled in the art will appreciate that a variety ofmaterials and methods for bonding those materials may be used and arecontemplated as within the scope of the present disclosure. As usedherein, references to “fusing” may refer to any suitable process forcreating a bonded layer of any of the above materials. For example, ifan object is made from polymer, fusing may refer to creating a thermosetbond between polymer materials. If the object is epoxy, the bond may beformed by a crosslinking process. If the material is ceramic, the bondmay be formed by a sintering process. If the material is powdered metal,the bond may be formed by a melting or sintering process. One skilled inthe art will appreciate that other methods of fusing materials to make acomponent by additive manufacturing are possible, and the presentlydisclosed subject matter may be practiced with those methods.

In addition, the additive manufacturing process disclosed herein allowsa single component to be formed from multiple materials. Thus, thecomponents described herein may be formed from any suitable mixtures ofthe above materials. For example, a component may include multiplelayers, segments, or parts that are formed using different materials,processes, and/or on different additive manufacturing machines. In thismanner, components may be constructed which have different materials andmaterial properties for meeting the demands of any particularapplication. In addition, although the components described herein areconstructed entirely by additive manufacturing processes, it should beappreciated that in alternate embodiments, all or a portion of thesecomponents may be formed via casting, machining, and/or any othersuitable manufacturing process. Indeed, any suitable combination ofmaterials and manufacturing methods may be used to form thesecomponents.

An exemplary additive manufacturing process will now be described.Additive manufacturing processes fabricate components usingthree-dimensional (3D) information, for example a three-dimensionalcomputer model, of the component. Accordingly, a three-dimensionaldesign model of the component may be defined prior to manufacturing. Inthis regard, a model or prototype of the component may be scanned todetermine the three-dimensional information of the component. As anotherexample, a model of the component may be constructed using a suitablecomputer aided design (CAD) program to define the three-dimensionaldesign model of the component.

The design model may include 3D numeric coordinates of the entireconfiguration of the component including both external and internalsurfaces of the component. For example, the design model may define thebody, the surface, and/or internal passageways such as openings, supportstructures, etc. In one exemplary embodiment, the three-dimensionaldesign model is converted into a plurality of slices or segments, e.g.,along a central (e.g., vertical) axis of the component or any othersuitable axis. Each slice may define a thin cross section of thecomponent for a predetermined height of the slice. The plurality ofsuccessive cross-sectional slices together form the 3D component. Thecomponent is then “built-up” slice-by-slice, or layer-by-layer, untilfinished.

In this manner, the components described herein may be fabricated usingthe additive process, or more specifically each layer is successivelyformed, e.g., by fusing or polymerizing a plastic using laser energy orheat or by sintering or melting metal powder. For example, a particulartype of additive manufacturing process may use an energy beam, forexample, an electron beam or electromagnetic radiation such as a laserbeam, to sinter or melt a powder material. Any suitable laser and laserparameters may be used, including considerations with respect to power,laser beam spot size, and scanning velocity. The build material may beformed by any suitable powder or material selected for enhancedstrength, durability, and useful life, particularly at hightemperatures.

Each successive layer may be, for example, between about 10 μm and 200μm, although the thickness may be selected based on any number ofparameters and may be any suitable size according to alternativeembodiments. Therefore, utilizing the additive formation methodsdescribed above, the components described herein may have cross sectionsas thin as one thickness of an associated powder layer, e.g., 10 μm,utilized during the additive formation process.

In addition, utilizing an additive process, the surface finish andfeatures of the components may vary as need depending on theapplication. For example, the surface finish may be adjusted (e.g., madesmoother or rougher) by selecting appropriate laser scan parameters(e.g., laser power, scan speed, laser focal spot size, etc.) during theadditive process, especially in the periphery of a cross-sectional layerwhich corresponds to the part surface. For example, a rougher finish maybe achieved by increasing laser scan speed or decreasing the size of themelt pool formed, and a smoother finish may be achieved by decreasinglaser scan speed or increasing the size of the melt pool formed. Thescanning pattern and/or laser power can also be changed to change thesurface finish in a selected area.

Notably, in exemplary embodiments, several features of the componentsdescribed herein were previously not possible due to manufacturingrestraints. However, the present inventors have advantageously utilizedcurrent advances in additive manufacturing techniques to developexemplary embodiments of such components generally in accordance withthe present disclosure. While the present disclosure is not limited tothe use of additive manufacturing to form these components generally,additive manufacturing does provide a variety of manufacturingadvantages, including ease of manufacturing, reduced cost, greateraccuracy, etc.

In this regard, utilizing additive manufacturing methods, evenmulti-part components may be formed as a single piece of continuousmetal, and may thus include fewer sub-components and/or joints comparedto prior designs. The integral formation of these multi-part componentsthrough additive manufacturing may advantageously improve the overallassembly process. For example, the integral formation reduces the numberof separate parts that must be assembled, thus reducing associated timeand overall assembly costs. Additionally, existing issues with, forexample, leakage, joint quality between separate parts, and overallperformance may advantageously be reduced.

Also, the additive manufacturing methods described above enable muchmore complex and intricate shapes and contours of the componentsdescribed herein. For example, such components may include thinadditively manufactured layers and unique fluid passageways withintegral inlet and outlet manifolds. In addition, the additivemanufacturing process enables the manufacture of a single componenthaving different materials such that different portions of the componentmay exhibit different performance characteristics. The successive,additive nature of the manufacturing process enables the construction ofthese novel features. As a result, the components described herein mayexhibit improved performance and reliability.

Referring now to FIGS. 2 through 5, splitter 100 will be describedaccording to various exemplary embodiments of the present subjectmatter. In particular, FIG. 2 illustrates a close-up cross-sectionalview of splitter 100 mounted to a forward end of core turbine engine 16.In addition, FIGS. 3 through 5 illustrate various schematiccross-sectional views of the internal fluid passageways within splitter100. Although exemplary constructions of splitter 100 are illustratedherein for the purpose of explaining aspects of the present subjectmatter, it should be appreciated that these examples are not intended tolimit the scope of the present subject matter.

As described above with respect to FIG. 1, turbofan engine 10 generallyincludes core turbine engine 16 which includes a compressor section(e.g., LP and HP compressors 22, 24), a combustion section 26, and aturbine section (e.g., HP and LP turbine 28, 30) arranged in serial floworder. Similarly, an annular nacelle 50 is positioned around coreturbine engine 16 to define a bypass airflow passage 56 therebetween. Inaddition, nacelle 50 generally defines an engine inlet 60 which receivesa primary flow of air (e.g., as indicated by arrows 58) to supportengine operation.

Referring now specifically to FIG. 2, splitter 100 positioned at aleading edge or forward end 102 of core engine 16. In this regard,splitter 100 generally defines an inlet to core engine 16 or core inlet104 at a forward end 102. Splitter 100 is generally configured forsplitting the primary flow of air 58 between core inlet 104 and bypassairflow passageway 56. More specifically, referring again to FIG. 1, theprimary flow of air 58 is divided by splitter 100 into a flow of bypassair 62 and a flow of core engine or combustion air 64.

As best illustrated in FIG. 2, splitter 100 generally includes annularinner wall 110 which defines the radially outer boundary of a compressorflow path 112 through which the flow of combustion air 64 passes. Inaddition, splitter 100 includes an annular outer wall 114 that is spacedapart from inner wall 110 along the radial direction R. As illustrated,outer wall 114 defines the radially inner boundary of bypass airflowpassageway 56. As illustrated, inner wall 110 and outer wall 114 arepositioned at a larger radial spacing downstream of forward end 102 andare generally curved or tapered toward each other to define the leadingedge, nose, or forward end 102 of core engine 16. More specifically, asillustrated, outer wall 114 is curved to meet inner wall 110 at forwardend 102 and to define core inlet 104. In addition, a splitter plenum 116is generally defined between inner wall 110 and outer wall 114.According to the illustrated embodiment, splitter 100 is formed from aseparate inner wall 110 and outer wall 114. However, it should beappreciated that according to alternative embodiments, splitter 100 maybe formed as a single, integral piece, such that inner wall 110 andouter wall 114 are not separate components.

Notably, as described above, splitter 100 is generally exposed to verycold environments, e.g., during high-altitude operation, that may resultin the formation of ice on splitter 100. To prevent the build-up of ice,conventional gas turbine engines supplied a flow of heated air to aplenum similar to splitter plenum 116 as illustrated in FIG. 2.Alternatively, conventional gas turbine engines would include resistanceheating elements within the plenum defined by the booster splitter.However, filling the entire splitter plenum with hot air wastes heatedair and harms engine efficiency. In addition, resistance heatingelements may be costly, prone to failure, and difficult to assemble inthe engine. Thus, aspects of the present subject matter provided a moreeffective means for heating and deicing the booster splitter of a gasturbine engine.

Referring still to FIGS. 2 through 5, using the additive manufacturingtechniques described herein, outer wall 114 is formed such that one ormore internal fluid passageways 120 are defined within the outer wall114. As described in more detail below, turbofan engine 10 furtherincludes a fluid supply 122 that is in fluid communication with internalfluid passageways 120 for providing a flow of fluid (e.g., as indicatedby arrows 124) through internal passageways 120. For example, accordingto the illustrated embodiment, an inlet conduit 130 extends between andfluidly couples the compressor section (e.g. HP compressor 24) andinternal fluid passageways 120. In this manner, hot air may be bled offof HP compressor 24 and routed directly into internal fluid passageways120.

According to the illustrated embodiment, the heating fluid is compressedair bled off of HP compressor 24, but the present disclosure is notlimited to the use of compressed air for heating. Thus, it should beappreciated that “fluid” may be used herein to refer to any gas, liquid,or some combination thereof. For example, other fluids may be used toprovide heating, although such fluids might be recirculated ordischarged at a location other than the core engine. Thus, the presentapproach is not limited by the types of fluids that are used, and may beused for any suitable types of liquid and gaseous fluids, such as fuel,hydraulic fluid, combustion gas, refrigerant, refrigerant mixtures,dielectric fluid for cooling avionics or other aircraft electronicsystems, water, water-based compounds, water mixed with antifreezeadditives (e.g., alcohol or glycol compounds), oil, air, and any otherfluid or fluid blends.

Using internal fluid passageways 120 as described herein, outer wall 114of splitter 100 may be heated directly instead of being warmed by hotair within splitter plenum 116. This direct heating proximate to theexterior surface of outer wall 114 is more effective, easier toimplement, and requires less bleed air to be drawn from core engine 16.

As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 5, splitter 100 further includes anannular bulkhead 140 that extends substantially along the radialdirection R between inner wall 110 and outer wall 114. According to theillustrated embodiment, bulkhead 140 defines an inlet port 142 that isfluidly coupled with inlet conduit 130 for receiving the flow heated air124. In this regard, heated air 124 flows into bulkhead 140, radiallyoutward to outer wall 114, and through outer wall 114 proximate anexterior surface 144 where ice would otherwise build-up. In this regard,internal fluid passageways 120 may be defined within 2 centimeters ofexterior surface 144, or even closer, such as within 1 centimeter or 0.5centimeters of exterior surface 144. Such proximity of the internalfluid passageways 120 to exterior surface 144 results in improved heattransfer and reduced ice build-up.

Notably, outer wall 114 may define additional features for improving thetransfer of thermal energy to outer wall 114. For example, as bestillustrated in FIG. 3, internal fluid passageway 120 may define aserpentine pattern within outer wall 114. In this regard, internal fluidpassageway 120 may zig-zag back and forth along the circumferentialdirection C as internal fluid passageway 120 is routed toward forwardend 102. Alternatively, it should be appreciated that internal fluidpassageways 120 could instead be straight, curvilinear, helical,sinusoidal, or any other suitable shape. These various configurationsare enabled by the additive manufacturing processes disclosed herein andare considered to be within the scope of the present subject matter.

In addition, referring specifically to FIG. 4, outer wall 114 may defineheat exchange fins 150 that extend into internal fluid passageways 120to improve the heat transfer between the flow of fluid 124 and outerwall 114. Moreover, other suitable heat exchange features may be definedwithin internal fluid passageway 120, e.g., to maximize the surface areafor thermal contact and to improve heat transfer. The size, position,and orientation of heat exchange fins 150 are used herein only toexplain aspects of the present subject matter and are not intended to belimiting.

In addition, although a single inlet port 142 is illustrated herein, itshould be appreciated that any suitable number of inlet ports 142 andassociated internal fluid passageways 120 may be defined within outerwall 114. For example, annular bulkhead 140 may define a plurality ofinlet ports 142 spaced circumferentially about bulkhead 140. Each inletport 142 may be fluidly coupled to HP compressor 24 through a separateinlet conduit 130. According still another exemplary embodiment, asingle inlet port 142 may be used to fill an inlet plenum (notillustrated) for distributing the flow of heated air 124circumferentially around bulkhead 140 and outer wall 114.

In addition, as best illustrated in FIG. 5, outer wall 114 may definemultiple internal fluid passageways 120 that are spaced apart along thecircumferential direction C, each of which are in fluid communicationwith fluid supply 122. Similar, to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3,each of these multiple fluid passageways 120 may be serpentine or anyother suitable shape.

Referring now specifically the FIGS. 2, 3, and 5, splitter 100 mayfurther define a plurality of discharge ports 160 that are generallyconfigured for discharging the flow of fluid 124 out of splitter 100.More specifically, according to the illustrated embodiment, dischargeports 160 are spaced circumferentially around and defined by outer wall114. Discharge ports 160 are in fluid communication with internal fluidpassageways 120 and are oriented for discharging the flow of fluid 124into core engine 16. In this manner, flow of heated air 14 may also bedirected into core inlet 104 for discharging air into the compressorflow path 112 and may be used to heat airfoils within core engine 16 toprevent ice build-up.

As shown in FIG. 5, outer wall 114 may further define an annulardischarge plenum 162 which extends circumferentially around forward end102 of outer wall 114 and is in fluid communication with each of theplurality internal fluid passageways 120. Annular discharge plenum 162is also in fluid communication with discharge ports 160. In this manner,annular discharge plenum 162 is generally configured for receiving orcollecting the flow of fluid 124 from each of the internal fluidpassageways 120 and distributing that fluid about the circumferentialdirection C before discharging the fluid 124 out of discharge ports 160.

Referring now specifically to FIG. 5, core engine 16 of turbofan engine10 includes a first plurality of airfoils 170, sometimes referred to asinlet guide vanes (IGVs), that are space circumferentially withincompressor flow path 112. Notably, airfoils 170 are also prone to icebuild-up during cold environment operation. Therefore, according toanother exemplary embodiment, each airfoil 170 defines a heating plenum172 and bleed air ports 174. By providing heating plenum 172 with hotair, ice build-up on airfoils 170 may be reduced or eliminatedaltogether.

Therefore, according to the illustrated embodiment, internal fluidpassageway 120 extends through inner wall 110 and is fluidly coupled toheating plenum 172. In this manner, the flow of heated air 124 may passinto inner wall 110 after heating outer wall 114, and may flow intoheating plenum 172 and be directed out bleed air ports 174 back intocore engine 16. According to an alternative embodiment, a dedicatedinternal fluid passageway (not shown) may provide fluid communicationbetween fluid supply 122 and heating plenum 172.

It should be appreciated that splitter 100 is described herein only forthe purpose of explaining aspects of the present subject matter. Forexample, splitter 100 will be used herein to describe exemplaryconfigurations, constructions, and methods of manufacturing splitter100. It should be appreciated that the additive manufacturing techniquesdiscussed herein may be used to manufacture other booster splitters orcore engine inlets for use in any other gas turbine engine. Thus, theexemplary components and methods described herein are used only toillustrate exemplary aspects of the present subject matter and are notintended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any manner.

Now that the construction and configuration of splitter 100 according toan exemplary embodiment of the present subject matter has beenpresented, an exemplary method 200 for forming a splitter according toan exemplary embodiment of the present subject matter is provided.Method 200 can be used by a manufacturer to form splitter 100, or anyother suitable splitter or core engine inlet. It should be appreciatedthat the exemplary method 200 is discussed herein only to describeexemplary aspects of the present subject matter, and is not intended tobe limiting.

Referring now to FIG. 6, method 200 includes, at step 210, depositing alayer of additive material on a bed of an additive manufacturingmachine. Method 200 further includes, at step 220, selectively directingenergy from an energy source onto the layer of additive material to fusea portion of the additive material and form a splitter. For example,using the example from above, splitter 100 may be formed for splitting aflow of primary air between a core engine inlet and a bypass airflowpassageway.

The additively manufactured splitter may include an annular inner walldefining a radially outer boundary of a compressor flow path definedthrough a compressor section of a gas turbine engine. An annular outerwall may be spaced apart from the inner wall along the radial direction,the outer wall being curved to meet with the inner wall at a forwardend, the forward end defining an inlet to the compressor flow path. Aninternal fluid passageway is defined within the outer wall and a fluidsupply is in fluid communication with the fluid passageway for providinga flow of fluid through the fluid passageway. Notably, according to anexemplary embodiment, the outer wall, the inner wall, or both may beintegrally formed as a single monolithic component.

FIG. 6 depicts steps performed in a particular order for purposes ofillustration and discussion. Those of ordinary skill in the art, usingthe disclosures provided herein, will understand that the steps of anyof the methods discussed herein can be adapted, rearranged, expanded,omitted, or modified in various ways without deviating from the scope ofthe present disclosure. Moreover, although aspects of method 200 areexplained using splitter 100 as an example, it should be appreciatedthat these methods may be applied to manufacture any suitable splitteror core engine inlet.

A booster splitter and a method for manufacturing that splitter aredescribed above. Notably, splitter 100 may generally includeperformance-enhancing geometries and internal fluid flow passages whosepractical implementations are facilitated by an additive manufacturingprocess, as described below. For example, using the additivemanufacturing methods described herein, the splitter may include anouter wall defining an internal fluid passageway for more efficient andimproved heating of booster splitter. In addition, the additivemanufacturing techniques described herein enable the formation of aninternal fluid passageway that passes a flow of fluid directly onto afirst plurality of airfoils (or into a heating plenum within thoseairfoils). These features may be introduced during the design of thesplitter, such that they may be easily integrated into the splitterduring the build process at little or no additional cost. Moreover, theentire splitter, including the outer wall, the inner wall, the bulkhead,and all other features can be formed integrally as a single monolithiccomponent.

This written description uses examples to disclose the invention,including the best mode, and also to enable any person skilled in theart to practice the invention, including making and using any devices orsystems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope ofthe invention is defined by the claims, and may include other examplesthat occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intendedto be within the scope of the claims if they include structural elementsthat do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if theyinclude equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differencesfrom the literal languages of the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A gas turbine engine defining an axial directionand a radial direction, the gas turbine engine comprising: an annularinner wall defining a radially outer boundary of a compressor flow pathdefined through a compressor section of the gas turbine engine; anannular outer wall spaced apart from the inner wall along the radialdirection, the outer wall being curved to meet with the inner wall at aforward end, the forward end defining an inlet to the compressor flowpath; a fluid passageway defined within the outer wall; and a fluidsupply in fluid communication with the fluid passageway for providing aflow of fluid through the fluid passageway.
 2. The gas turbine engine ofclaim 1, wherein the outer wall defines heat exchange fins within thefluid passageway.
 3. The gas turbine engine of claim 1, furthercomprising: an annular bulkhead spanning between the inner wall and theouter wall substantially along the radial direction, the bulkheaddefining an inlet port; and an inlet conduit providing fluidcommunication between the fluid supply and the inlet port.
 4. The gasturbine engine of claim 1, wherein the outer wall defines: an annulardischarge plenum extending circumferentially proximate the forward endof the outer wall, the outer wall further defining a plurality ofdischarge ports spaced circumferentially proximate the forward end andbeing in fluid communication with the discharge plenum.
 5. The gasturbine engine of claim 4, wherein the discharge ports are positionedwithin the inlet for discharging the flow of fluid into the compressorflow path.
 6. The gas turbine engine of claim 1, wherein the gas turbineengine comprises a first plurality of airfoils spaced circumferentiallywithin the compressor flow path, each of the first airfoils defining aheating plenum and bleed air ports, and wherein the fluid passageway isin fluid communication with the heating plenum for providing the flow ofheated air through the bleed air ports.
 7. The gas turbine engine ofclaim 1, wherein the fluid supply is a the compressor section of the gasturbine engine.
 8. The gas turbine engine of claim 7, wherein an inletconduit provides fluid communication between a high pressure compressorand one or more inlet ports defined by the outer wall.
 9. The gasturbine engine of claim 1, wherein the fluid passageway defines aserpentine pattern within the outer wall.
 10. The gas turbine engine ofclaim 1, wherein the outer wall defines multiple fluid passagewaysspaced apart along the circumferential direction, each of the fluidpassageways being in fluid communication with the fluid supply.
 11. Thegas turbine engine of claim 1, wherein the gas turbine engine comprisesan annular nacelle spaced apart from the outer wall along the radialdirection to define a bypass passageway therebetween, and wherein theinner wall and the outer wall split a primary flow of air into a flow ofbypass air and a flow of core air.
 12. The gas turbine engine of claim1, wherein the outer wall, the inner wall, or both are integrally formedas a single monolithic component.
 13. The gas turbine engine of claim 1,wherein the inner wall and the outer wall comprise a plurality of layersformed by: depositing a layer of additive material on a bed of anadditive manufacturing machine; and selectively directing energy from anenergy source onto the layer of additive material to fuse a portion ofthe additive material.
 14. A gas turbine engine comprising: a coreengine comprising a compressor section, a combustion section, and aturbine section in serial flow order; an annular nacelle positionedaround the core engine, a bypass airflow passageway being definedbetween the core engine and the nacelle, the annular nacelle defining anengine inlet for receiving a primary flow of air; and a splitterpositioned at a forward end of the core engine and defining a coreinlet, the splitter configured for splitting the primary flow of airbetween the core inlet and the bypass airflow passageway, the splittercomprising: an annular outer wall defining an internal fluid passageway;a fluid supply in fluid communication with the internal fluid passagewayfor providing a flow of fluid to the internal fluid passageway; and aplurality of discharge ports defined on the outer wall and being influid communication with the internal fluid passageway for dischargingthe flow of fluid into the core engine.
 15. The gas turbine engine ofclaim 14, wherein the outer wall defines heat exchange fins within theinternal fluid passageway.
 16. The gas turbine engine of claim 14,further comprising: an annular bulkhead spanning between an inner walland the outer wall substantially along the radial direction, thebulkhead defining an inlet port; and an inlet conduit providing fluidcommunication between the fluid supply and the inlet port.
 17. The gasturbine engine of claim 14, wherein the gas turbine engine comprises afirst plurality of airfoils spaced circumferentially within thecompressor section, each of the first airfoils defining a heating plenumand bleed air ports, and wherein the internal fluid passageway is influid communication with the heating plenum for providing the flow ofheated air through the bleed air ports.
 18. The gas turbine engine ofclaim 14, wherein the internal fluid passageway defines a serpentinepattern within the outer wall.
 19. A method of manufacturing a splitter,the method comprising: depositing a layer of additive material on a bedof an additive manufacturing machine; and selectively directing energyfrom an energy source onto the layer of additive material to fuse aportion of the additive material and form the splitter, the splittercomprising: an annular inner wall defining a radially outer boundary ofa compressor flow path defined through a compressor section of the gasturbine engine; and an annular outer wall spaced apart from the innerwall along the radial direction, the outer wall being curved to meetwith the inner wall at a forward end, the forward end defining an inletto the compressor flow path and an internal fluid passageway.
 20. Themethod claim 19, wherein the inner wall, the outer wall, or both areintegrally formed as a single monolithic component.